Full Speed Ahead
Students will use hover pucks to measure speed over a distance of six meters. Once speed has been calculated, students will determine velocity using the same data. Finally, students will be able to label all points of acceleration.
Motion Pictures
In this lesson, students will be introduced to the concept of motion representation using distance vs. time graphs. Students will recognize labeling of axes, steepness related to speed, horizontal lines as non-motion, and downward slope as return to origin.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills Related to the Unit
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Earth: A Tilted Affair
After a brief review of direct and indirect sunlight, students will arrange heat maps and globes around a drawing of the Sun based on the tilt of Earth and how it affects Earth’s temperature.
Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) Related to the Unit
Click below to learn about the TEKS related to this unit.
Evaluating Inferences
Students will evaluate a set of inferences to determine if they are valid or invalid and use text evidence to support their stance. The lesson incorporates best practices for English learners (ELs) and at-risk students such as the use of graphic organizers, anchor charts, and cooperative learning.
Santa Timeline Breakout
Students collaborate and critically-think to analyze resources from informational texts of various disciplines and unlock a breakout box. Once the box is unlocked, students receive a final text to summarize.
Nomenclature of Ionic Compounds
Given descriptors, diagrams. or scenarios, students will write and name the chemical formulas of common polyatomic ions and ionic compounds containing main group or transition metals and bases.
Mole Conversions
Given descriptions or chemical formula of a substance, students will convert between mass, moles, and particles for a sample of material.
Quantifying Changes in Chemical Reactions: Balancing Equations
Given descriptions or chemical formulas of the reactants and the products of chemical reactions, students will apply the law of conservation of mass and manipulate coefficients to balance chemical equations.
Scientific Investigation and Reasoning - Data Organization
Using interactive exercises, students will review how to construct tables and graphs in order to organize data.
Scientific Investigation and Reasoning - Data Analysis
Students will use interactive exercises to analyze data to identify patterns, predict trends, formulate reasonable explanations, and communicate valid conclusions.
Scientific Investigation and Reasoning - Scientific Explanations
Using interactive exercises, students will review how to evaluate a scientific explanation.
Scientific Investigation and Reasoning - Models
Using interactive exercises, students will review the three different types of models and the advantages and limitations of models.
Scientific Investigation and Reasoning - Contribution of Scientists
Using interactive exercises, students will review the contributions of scientist to various fields of scientific study.
Matter and Energy - Atomic Structure
Using interactive exercises, students will describe the structure of atoms and the locations of particles with in the atom.
Gravity
Using interactives, students will demonstrate that gravity is the force that governs the motion of our solar system.
Light Years
Students will identify how light years are used to measure distances and sizes of components of the universe.
Poetry With Purpose
Students collaborate in small groups to discuss their peers’ poetry and assess the poetry according to the student-created rubric. The rubric assesses students’ ability to make meaningful connections to the poetic devices in their poetry. Through collaboration, they are building a culture of receptiveness among their peers.
A Reader’s Survival Guide: Connecting and Synthesizing Ideas in Nonfiction Texts
This lesson is designed to teach students to synthesize and make connections between ideas within a text and with previous texts students have read.
Intelligible Inferences
Students will work in cooperative learning groups that foster empathy to make inferences from pictures and text. They will discuss the differences between inferences made from pictures and inferences made from text.
Students working on poster
The Arrangement of Elements: The Periodic Table
This resource provides flexible alternate or additional learning opportunities for students to interpret the arrangement of elements on the Periodic Table, Eighth Grade Science TEKS (8)(5)(C).